Somehow, can Sony's full control over the mobile phone unit lead to what I've been hoping for for years--a true PlayStation phone, preferably in the form of a revamped Vita?

While the logical thinker might say no, consider the odd forgotten Xperia Play and its failed attempt to mesh an Android phone with vestiges of a PlayStation experience: a control pad with buttons, but no analog sticks. Downloadable PlayStation games, but old, old-school PS1 titles, not PS2 or PSP games. When I played the Xperia Play months ago, it already seemed clear to me that the PS Vita was the true PlayStation phone, even without technically being a phone.

The Vita, Sony's next-generation gaming handheld, has a U.S. release that's been pushed to February 2012. There is, indeed, a 3G version of the Vita in development for use on AT&T's network, although at this point it doesn't appear to handle voice calls.